With Eyes to the Heavens
by Thalia4
Summary: A tyrant has come to Hyrule with the worst intent. In the winter of his life, Link searches for an answer. Which is stronger: Love or hate? Perhaps a schizophrenic assasin would help, before her time is up. But the clock is ticking and Zosime is rising...
1. Prologue

With Eyes to the Heavens   
  
Prologue 

  
  
The Angel of Death had come to Hyrule.   
  
She settled first in the cities of the destitute, their bars and taverns easy pray for her, the forces of corruption already at work within their chipped plaster walls. Eager hands had grabbed for her proffered wealth, not knowing that the woman with the frosted tresses and sanguine eyes was no glorified spirit, bit instead the devil -eager to take the souls of the emaciated in return for a full meal and a place to sleep. She branched her empire of death slowly, content to take her time in the arts of her work, knowing that haste would be her undoing, and that if she moved stealthily, no one would notice her presence at all. Then, as seasons progressed and her power and influence grew, she became bolder, leaving her blood-stained metropolises and over-crowded ghettos for the more affluent countries that stretched the horizon. She had fled slavery for a life of power and wealth. She had nothing to lose but her chains.   
  
Behind her was a path of destruction, poverty, terror, and depravity, all colored by her minions and their threats. Before her, an empire rose from the horizon, nations eager for their chance to fight the scourge of the seas, each, in their arrogance, thinking they would be the last. One by one, she toppled them all, destroyed their governments, and sent them to join the ranks of the abyss she had created. One by one, she seduced their leaders with her empty promises of wealth and freedom, of the assurances that one day they would all be great. She became bolder still, an unbroken sequence of victories following her where she went. Her armies grew, and along with them, her infamous inhumanity and cruelty flourished.   
  
Despite her legendary power, however, she knew she did not have the strength to yet attack Hyrule. The world superpower for millennia, they had a force and backing that she could not yet rival. Not yet, but one day not so long in coming, she would overcome them, and have supreme control over her realms.   
  
So she bid her time, hiding amongst the ruins she had caused, the kingdoms she had forsaken, and watched from the shadows as the Hylians played, and made merry, and lived their short little lives. And one day, one day she was certain that her time had come, that the once brilliant leaf of Hyrule was dying on the branch, while hers was just beginning to blossom.   
  
She brought her followers to the quiet countryside of Hyrule, an uninhabited strip of land neglected due to its rugged landscape, and regarded the beauty of what would soon be hers and her associate's. The entire nation seemed small and quaint, an image that belied the vast destructive powers of their military. For the time being, she would lie in wait, beneath the oppressive and volatile skies, amongst the dense and labyrinth-like forest on the outskirts- watchful- until the ideal moment to strike appeared, and she brought down the walls of the once great commonwealth.   
  
She was the Tyrant, the Pirate, the Demon that had come to Hyrule, a wicked enemy and almost unbeatable force.   
  
She was the Angel of Death, sent from the Gods to restore balance to the world, through her whip and her warnings.   
  
She was a Sheikah, returning home, to give the country that enslaved her people it's retribution.   
  
She was Zosime.   
  
And her mission was to return her master, Ganon.   
  


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So... what did everyone think? I really hope you liked it. I know, I know, it was very short, but it's just the prologue, other chapters will be much longer, I swear. Please, please, please... READ AND REVIEW! Oh... you know you want to. *Uses Telekinesis to make people want to review.* Anyway, I just want to know if I have an audience. @_@   
  
Thanks for putting up with me for so long!   
  
  
  



	2. Chapter I

With Eyes to the Heavens   
  
Chapter I   
  


When Link awoke that morning, he felt a vague feeling of unease upon him, an emotion left over from an incident that had occurred the night before. What had happened, though, was lost somewhere between his lassitude and the early hour of the morn. He closed his eyes, trying to get back to sleep, but slumber evaded him due to his disconcertment. At first he merely lay in his cot, the thick quilt pressing into his uncovered body, half searching for and half blocking the memories of the previous evening. He could hear the wind whistling through a window that had been left open somewhere downstairs.   
  
He rolled over unto his side, twisting his bulky covers over his slender frame. He groggily opened his icy blue eyes, expecting to see the black marble sun dial that sat out in the sunlight on the balcony of his two-story town house. Instead, he found himself staring into two ocean-deep black pools, which blinked benignly at him.   
  
Link gave a muffled cry, and tried to jump away from that which had startled him, falling in a heap of blankets onto the log floor. Above him, he heard loud, taunting, laughter. He looked up to see his neighbor, Bîlítõ, pretending to wipe away tears of glee from his dark eyes. He scrambled to his feet, pulling the blanket around his shoulders , and turned towards the boy, his face wearing a chagrined and angry expression.   
  
"What was that for?" Link demanded, glaring down at his undersized friend, who was now groveling away from the tall and incensed young man standing before him.   
  
"I couldn't help it," Bîlítõ said, struggling not to laugh, but looking a bit fidgety at the same time, "It was really late, and you drank too much last night, so I just wanted to see if you were okay. You were just lying there like you were dead, so I got up in your face, and I- I-" He was snickering so much he couldn't finish his sentence.   
  
"It isn't funny!" Link said angrily, clenching his hands into fists. The dark haired young man ignored him and continued to laugh, clutching his sides and throwing back his head. Finally, Link became fed up, and kicked Bîlítõ, rather hard, in the shin.   
  
Bîlítõ fell silent immediately, and dropped noisily next to Link on the bed, massaging the damaged appendage and whining.   
  
"That was uncalled for," he said, sounding blandly riled.   
  
"At least now you've shut up," Link said, laughing as he watched the boy rub his leg. "What time is it, anyway."   
  
"Seven o'clock," said Bîlítõ, avoiding Link's frigid eyes.   
  
"Seven o'clock!" the blonde exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief. "I thought you said it was late!"   
  
"It is," Bîlítõ said, indignantly folding his arms across his skinny chest.   
  
"By your deranged standards," said Link, appalled "Get out, I'm going back to sleep."   
  
"No you're not," the young black-haired man cried, dragging Link off of the mattress by his arm. "We're going out, and you're going to help me run errands, since you have nothing better to do than nap."   
  
For the second time, Link fell to the ground with a loud thud. Groaning, he sat up, Bîlítõ watching him with an amused smile.   
  
"Get up," he commanded, pointing a tanned finger towards him. Then he made a face of disgust. "But first, put on some pants."   
  
"Don't order me around!" Link hissed through gritted teeth, angry at having his sleep interrupted.   
  
"Shut up," Bîlítõ said absently, walking down the stairs, his feet slapping against the tile steps.   
  
* * * * *   
  
When Link finished getting dressed, he went down into the kitchen to see Bîlítõ sitting at the ancient table, a whiskey in his hand.   
  
"Isn't it a bit early to drink?" Link asked, sitting down next to him, and stretching his hands across the oak surface of the table, running his nails down a crack in the wood. "Oh, I forgot. Early hours don't affect you, you nut."   
  
"It'll keep me warm," Bîlítõ said, waving the precautions of his friend aside and taking another swill.   
  
"Warm? Why would you need to keep warm?"   
  
"Din, Link," Bîlítõ said, raising an eyebrow towards the sagging ceiling, "Did you even look outside? It's a blizzard out there, my man."   
  
"Great," Link said morosely. "What a phenomenal friend you are, Bîlítõ."   
  
"Thank you," said Bîlítõ, grinning wickedly, ignoring the other's sarcasm. "You might want to put on a cloak or something. You'll freeze."   
  
Link scowled, and Bîlítõ laughed again, rising from his seat and taking another lengthy swig.   
  
"What? We're going already."   
  
"Yes," the boy said shortly, throwing a cape over his shoulders. "Now go get a cloak, or else you'll form into a little ice cube, and you'll float away and we'll never see you again." He paused, unusually thoughtful. "But at least then you'd never have to look at that bothersome Akanu for the rest of eternity. Would the life of an iceberg by worth that?" Bîlítõ found his little joke very amusing, and laughed rudely.   
  
"Let's go," said Link, pulling the cuffs of a robe up around his neck. He grabbed the whiskey glass from Bîlítõ, and threw it onto a pile of dirty clothes in the corner of the room.   
  
"Hey!" Bîlítõ exclaimed, narrowing his eyes. "What a waste!"   
  
"Anymore, and I'd have to drag you around," Link replied, grinning at Bîlítõ's anger.   
  
"So?" Bîlítõ asked, buttoning the front of his cape and tightening it to keep out the cold. "What's so bad about that?"   
  
The two walked towards the front door, laughing and joking like good companions, but when Bîlítõ had brought up Akanu, Link had been reminded of his feelings of distraction. He didn't mention them to his friend, knowing that he would only brush them off. Still, Link now wondered what had happened the previous eve, and whether it had anything to do with the harassing girl.   
  
"Hey, Bîlítõ," Link said, as the reached the door. He leaned against the wall, trying to look unconcerned. "What happened last night? I can't remember anything."   
  
"Well, duh, after drinking that much I'm really not surprised. You, me, General Tomoku, and Juror Aelo played this dumb drinking game. You and Juror Aelo lost pretty badly."   
  
"I don't have as much practice as you," Link said irritably, not wanting to have any distractions from his subject. "But what about Akanu? Was she there?"   
  
"Have you ever been to a party where she wasn't there?" Bîlítõ asked dryly, shaking his head, black dread-locks flying. "Malon didn't even invite her, and she showed up anyway. I think she's stalking you, man."   
  
"Did she do anything odd?"   
  
"She only stared at you half the night. If that's not weird, I don't know what is. Oh, and she got in a fight with Fidget. Fidget, poor girl, was slapped up pretty badly, and you tried to interfere. Akanu flipped out and left."   
  
"That's all?" asked Link, relieved.   
  
"That's all?!" said Bîlítõ as he opened the door, incredulous. "Yes, that's all. And you think I'm loony. Good Gods, the boy's lost it."   
  
As soon as they stepped outside into the street, a gust of icy arctic air struck their faces, causing them to flinch and withdraw into the confines of their hoods. Still, Link shivered, and pulled the cloak up around his ears. Bîlítõ, on the other hand, was overjoyed.   
  
"Winter!" he cried, running ahead of Link and throwing his arms into the air towards the heavy sky above. His uncanny behavior earned him a few reproachful stares from the passerby, which were few due to the hour and the poor weather.   
  
"Ah, glorious blizzard! How I've missed you!" he yelled, running in circles. "Hey, Link!" he cried, picking up a pile of snow, and packing it into a ball. "Catch!"   
  
The snowball fell just short of Links feet. He laughed, in spite of himself. Having seen snow every year, Link was unimpressed by its capabilities. But Bîlítõ had only moved to the northern part of Hyrule a few months earlier, forsaking the desert he had been raised in in hopes of opening his own edibles store in the big city. Bîlítõ had the joy of a child at almost everything in the city, and his cheery and bright-eyed delight was infectious, even for somber Link.   
  
Despite the fact that he was new in the town, had Gerudu blood in him, and was from the Haunted Wasteland as well, Bîlítõ was already well-known and well-loved by all in the city. His light-hearted nature and open, handsome face quickly won over any and all. His business was suffering because he constantly gave away free goods to the customers, and he neglected the shop sometimes in the midst of doing good deeds for others. He was the stereotype of a cliché of a sweet country boy in the bustling metropolis.   
  
Link ran to catch up with him, kicking up fine mists of sparkling white powder behind him. The wind was subsiding now, and the clouds were not so thick and heavy. It would be a fine day after all.   
  
"You see?" Bîlítõ asked, laughing as Link slipped and fell into a snow bank, sending snow flying everywhere. "Wasn't this a good idea? Aren't I always right?"   
  
"Don't get cocky," said Link, trying to sound serious, but failing miserably. "There are a few ideas I should remind you of, that you won't be so proud of."   
  
Bîlítõ bent over and pulled him to his feet, chuckling as Link tried to dust himself off with his remaining dignity.   
  
"Quiet you," Bîlítõ said, smiling warmly and winking. "Be a good friend, and don't mention that cow-milker to anyone."   
  
"Oh, look!" Link said cheerfully, motioning up to the balcony of a huge house. A young and beautiful girl stood there, looking down at the near empty streets. "It's Ixchelia!"   
  
"Ah, the fair Ixchelia," Bîlítõ said, prancing around in the snow. "How I pine for thee! Would that you would return my affections!"   
  
"Come on, you freak," Link said, tugging him away from the girl, who was now staring down at them, shocked.   
  
"Hey!" Bîlítõ said, offended. "That wasn't nice. Fare thee well, my love!" he called to the girl. She simply gazed at him, a smile of amusement on her face.   
  
"So where are we going?" Link asked, as they continued on their way, heading towards the large drawbridge that was currently being shoveled clear to help keep the flow of traffic at it's maximum level.   
  
"Lon Lon Ranch," Bîlítõ said, gesturing ahead towards the large building set into the small plateau. "Talon's leg is bothering him again, so I thought I'd go and help him with deliveries."   
  
"Good luck getting there in less than half an hour, gnome," Link said cruelly, smirking.   
  
"That's why we left early, genius," Bîlítõ said, standing on his tiptoes slapping Link gently on the back of his head. "But just to make things interesting, how about a race?"   
  
"No," said Link. "I'm not in the mood to watch you humiliate yourself this early in the morning."   
  
"Come on," Bîlítõ whined, clasping his hands. "Please!?"   
  
"Yergh," Link said, throwing his hands up in despair. "Alright. To the ranch entry."   
  
The two set off running, jumping through snow piles, their clothing coated in a layer of fine, shimmering dust that glistened in the feeble sunlight. Bîlítõ was fairly fast, but he was untrained and not used to the extreme weather conditions. Link, on the other hand, was tall and long-legged, and easily cut through the drifts.   
  
About five minutes later, Link, gasping for air , reached the entry, his lungs and legs aching with over-exertion. He extended a gloved hand, and grabbed one of the large wooden pillars, giving his limbs a chance to rest. Resting his head briefly against the stone wall, he shook his head, chuckling breathlessly. He glanced over his shoulder in time to see Bîlítõ, several feet away, trip in his own legs and tumble to the ground in a heap.   
  
As Bîlítõ got to his feet, Link pretended to be asleep, and snored gently. The short, dark-haired boy approached him, looking irritated.   
  
"No fair," he said. "You're legs are longer, you're used to this, and I'm not."   
  
"That's your fault, pygmy," Link taunted. Bîlítõ made a face, and headed off towards the ranch. Link followed him, taking extra long strides to accentuate his height.   
  
"You don't need to emphasize the point," Bîlítõ said, looking hurt.   
  
"Don't worry," Link said soothingly. "I won't tell Ixchelia what a gnome you are."   
  
Bîlítõ shook his head in resignation. "I'm a midget," he said, smiling with submission.   
  
"Not a midget. You're not _that_ short."   
  
Suddenly, Bîlítõ froze, glancing around worriedly.   
  
"What, now?" Link asked, annoyed. "The drifts aren't too deep for you, are they?"   
  
Bîlítõ raised a hand, telling him to be quiet. "Did you hear that?" he whispered.   
  
"Hear what?" Link demanded, wondering what Bîlítõ was on about.   
  
"I thought... I thought I heard a scream," Bîlítõ said, shrugging, but looking apprehensive nonetheless.   
  
"It was probably nothing," Link said, shaking his head.   
  
Then, floating across the plain behind them, carried by the wind, the both clearly heard the sound of someone yelling in a strange language.   
  
Bîlítõ and Link exchanged glances. "Still think I imagined it?" Bîlítõ asked proudly, and a bit nervously.   
  
Link shook his head again. "Should we go check it out?" he asked, his voice soft, as though he didn't want to be overheard.   
  
"Why? It's probably just tourists, mad at the weather," Bîlítõ said, snickering unkindly.   
  
"I think we should," Link announced.   
  
"You're the muscle," Bîlítõ said, shrugging nonchalantly. "I'm just the pygmy sidekick. If you say we should, I guess we should."   
  
"Let's go-" Link began.   
  
"Wait. What if it's something dangerous?"   
  
Link smiled a little. "You can stay behind if you want. Just stay here."   
  
"No way," Bîlítõ said angrily. "I'm not going to wait behind while you get your ass whipped by some giant alpaca or something. I'm coming too."   
  
"You have to keep up," said Link, preparing to break into a sprint. "I'm not slowing down for you."   
  
"No need!" Bîlítõ called, as Link sped off towards where they had heard the sound coming from.   
  
Ahead of him, along the horizon, he could see a lone figure. In the blinding white light that reflected off of the snow, it seemed like an old man, hunched over with age and weariness. Link picked up his pace, forcing himself to ignore the pressing pain in his lungs and side, and continue the punishing pace.   
  
As soon as Link stepped into view for the stranger, the old man turned his gaze on him. Link froze on the spot. His limbs turned to a rubbery jumble. The figure before him was so much the same, yet so very different at the same time. This man had haunted his memories for years, while Link wondered what had happened to him.   
  
"R-Rauru?"   
  


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Heya! Thanks so much for the reviews! I got this up pretty quick, ya see? It's all because of you! So keep those reviews coming in! Haha, no I'm just joking, I love reviews, but I'll continue even if I don't get any more.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Chapter II

With Eyes to the Heavens

Chapter II

Impa and Zelda sat alone in the room dark and smoky room, the light from the fire place casting flickering shadows over the two women's figures still figures. Impa was slouched in an ancient rocking chair, a blanket around her frail and bony shoulders, her eyes shut with fatigue and sleep. Across from her, lying sprawled on a cot far too small for her, was Zelda, her blonde hair forming a fan around a pale yet stunning face, shivering and shuddering from cold and terror.

Outside, in Kakariko Village, thick snow fell to the ground, twisting and swirling patterns in the air, the icy wind from the north blowing them diagonally into deep drifts. The sagging little walls in of the house were not nearly enough to keep out the blasts of draught that came through the cracked windows and crawled underneath the flimsy and unhinged door.

The entire room reeked of beer and smoke, due to an underground bar situated directly beneath the small flat. The thick haze of the cigars and sickening heat, which was not enough to heat the room, wafted up through the cracks in the floor, along with occasional catches of drunken singing or cancan music. There was a party going on downstairs. The woman that lay trembling on the bed saw little to celebrate. 

It was all because of him that she and her guardian were here. Ganondorf, the bastard, the traitor of her father. She and Link had defeated him once, but that hadn't been enough. Nothing was enough. Nothing she had done could have ever prevented this. And she could never have anticipated this, she who allegedly had all the wisdom and intelligence of the world contained in the palm of her hand, in a stone in the palm of her hand. 

Impa mumbled in her sleep, and stretched out her hands, arching her back like a cat. She slowly opened her eyes large dawn-tinted eyes, and blinked benignly a few times before looking at Zelda.

"Zelda," she said quietly, sitting up and rubbing her shoulders to warm herself. "You should be sleeping. You'll need your rest for the travel ahead of us."

The blonde woman sighed and pulled the pillow over her head. She lay like that for a few minutes, not moving, not even breathing, only listening to the wind howl outside. Then she slowly pulled the bag stuffed with rice off of her face, and looked at up Impa, who was still awake and peering at her in interest.

"We should have told Link, Impa," Zelda said, rubbing her eyes, "He'll panic when he realizes I'm gone."

"He would have insisted on coming with you," Impa said sternly, shaking her head a bit, "And Hyrule needs him."

"Where are they?" she asked the gray-haired Sheikah, her voice cracking with worry and weariness, and the weight of her fear. 

Impa shook her magnificent head, a cable of her hair swinging across her pale face. 

"I'm not sure," she confessed, shrugging. "I only know what Rauru said. To get you out of Hyrule as fast as I could, as quietly as I could." 

"Where is Louise?" Zelda repeated. "Why didn't he come back for us?"

Impa looked at Zelda sadly. 

"Your husband is a very busy man, child. He has a nation to rule," Impa said gently as she could. 

But Zelda would not be soothed. 

"It's _my _nation!" she hissed. "Not his. He doesn't actually care about the people. He only wants honor."

The Sheikah gazed at the girl for a few minutes. Then she said:

"And do you, Zelda, little daughter of the king, believe that your father or Link was any different? That they did the things they did out of love and not merely their craving for honor and power and respect?"

Zelda shivered again, as much from doubt as from cold.

"I don't know about my father," she said, "but Link would never do that. Never. He adores Hyrule."

Impa stared at her, the piercing stare only a Sheikah could ever have. She seemed to see right through to Zelda's heart, to her very soul, her core.

"Does he?" she asked softly. "Does he love our land? Does he love yours and my people?"

Zelda said nothing, only lay back down on the pallet she was stretched out on. Behind her, she heard the door fly open, and felt a rush of cold air across her back. She could hear the wind moaning through the streets, and she saw the fire flicker and waver, almost extinguished by the strong draft.

"Jozen!" Impa said sharply, raising her eyes to someone behind Zelda. "Close the door."

Zelda turned around and saw Jozen bound through the door, his cheeks red from the cold, his expression cheerful, but worried.

"Hey!" he said, plopping down in front of the fire, pulling his black boots of his feet, and extending his leg towards the merrily dancing flames. 

"So?" Impa said bluntly, glaring down at the young man sitting on the worn rug below her.

"Nothing, regarding… you know. But, as they say, no news is good news, right? As for Malon and the kids," Jozen grinned, "they're fine. The _really_ bad weather hasn't touched the plains yet, and when it does, they've got plenty of food to last them the winter."

"This isn't a natural winter," Zelda said. "It's only Syptombra. Cold weather usually doesn't arrive until Nyveninni, and even then, it doesn't snow this much."

"What do you mean, 'no news'?" Impa asked distrustfully.

"Like I said. No new updates on him," Jozen sighed. "Look, ladies, I know you're both witches or whatever. But, come one, Sir Link really did a number on The Dark One. Forgive me if I don't share your paranoia regarding this."

"Witches?" Impa asked, sounding amused. But that wasn't what bothered Zelda.

"Jozen, I know you don't believe us, but Ganon is coming! I know he is! And if it's not Ganon, it's something just as bad."

Jozen guffawed loudly, and turned to look at Zelda, grinning.

"Come on, baby," he said, chuckling quietly. "Why do you think that?"

Zelda stayed silent, not quite knowing what to say to the skeptical Jozen, and not knowing how much information would be too much for safety.

"You've done your jobs well, Jozen," Impa said kindly, and nodded. "Now, if you wish, you can go home to your wife and family. I'll pay you just what we agreed upon."

Jozen stood again, beaming. 

"Thanks, Impa. But don't bother paying me. It was enough getting to work with two beautiful gals like yourselves."

Impa rolled her eyes, looking mildly vexed.

"Jozen, get the hell out of here before I change my mind," she said. Jozen saluted her bravely, nodded at Zelda, and marched out the door, grinning wildly.

"Jozen doesn't realize the danger he's in. I almost envy him," said Impa, looking sad suddenly.

Zelda ignored her, and stared after him, watching his figure fade into the snowy darkness.

"Impa?" she asked quietly. The woman looked up and nodded at her. "I don't think I can leave Hyrule."

Impa was taken aback. 

"But you can't stay here. It's too risky. If he comes back, then-"

"Then I will share my fate with my people," she said coldly. "I'm tired of running. I spent my whole life running. I'm staying here. This is my country."

Impa walked towards Zelda, her eyes glazed with tears, though her face still was a mask of composure. She cupped the girl's face in her hands, peering into her azure eyes, searching for something Zelda wasn't sure she could offer.

"If you make such a decision, you cannot go back on it," Impa said bitterly, dropping her hands to her hips. "If you stay here, you stay here until the bitter end, and, for better or for worse, share it's fortune."

Zelda nodded, trying to hide her fear. 

"I know. I want to stay."

Impa sighed, her expression heavy, and threw the coarse cloak around her shoulders. 

"I'll get our horses ready," she said, tossing her gray hair over her collar. "Gather our things. I don't want to stay her a minute longer than is necessary."

Zelda nodded, but did not move from the berth she sat on. She stared wordlessly at Impa, the blanket pulled over her hair. 

"Where are we going?" she asked Impa, standing as the woman headed towards the wobbly door.

"To the last place he will ever look for us," she said, with a twisted grin. "Right under his very nose, in the house of his second in command."

Zelda stared at her as she left. 

"You cannot, do not, mean Nabooru," she called as she ran towards the woman, who had walked out the door. Impa turned and stared at her, the wind twisting snow flakes around her face, her hair flying out behind her. 

"I do," she said.

* * *

Well hello there? What did you all think? Good, bad, mediocre? Sorry this was a bit short. I just got a bit of writers block, and needed to write another scene. 

Later!

-Thalia

__


	4. Chapter III

With Eyes to the Heavens   
  
Chapter III  
  


Rauru stood at the large panorama window, staring out over the snow covered city, the hazy sunlight of evening gone from the air. Night had fallen, and the moon made the newly fallen frost glitter like gems, blinding flashed of light so brilliant looking at them was almost painful. The sky above was clear and bright, the heavens exposed in all their glory, not a cloud in the sky. In the distance, Rauru could hear the music of some pub or bar. He closed his eyes, and willed for a moment, the weight of his years pressed in on him as it had never before in his entire existence. It was not comforting.   
  
"It's beautiful," he said, to no one in particular, opening his eyes and gazing at the vast town that stretched out before him.   
  
"It is," said someone. Their voice sounded soft, almost frightened.   
  
Rauru turned to find himself staring at a young man, who seemed a few years younger than Link. He had disheveled black dreadlocks, and dazzling black eyes that gleamed as brightly as the newly fallen snow. The boy smiled hesitantly, as though he was afraid of Rauru.   
  
"I'm Bîlítõ," the boy said, extending a tanned hand. Rauru, a bit surprised, took it. He wasn't used to being treated so... well, so equally. When he had been a priest, people would have bowed to him, or kissed his hands in some cases. But here was a young man, not more than twenty, addressing him as if Rauru was just another of the city's elderly; with kindness and respect, but not worship.   
  
"What?" the boy asked suspiciously, and Rauru realized he had been smiling. "What did I say?"   
  
"Nothing," said Rauru, still smiling warmly. "I was just thinking how little I know about Link."   
  
"Oh," the man named Bîlítõ said, blushing an impossible shade of crimson. "We're not... going out... or anything, if that's what you mean."   
  
Rauru chuckled kindly, and turned back to the window, the heat from the fire at his back. His expression was friendly, but the warmth in his face did not reach his eyes, which seemed sad and distant as the stars above. "How well do you know the Her- how well do you know Link, Bîlítõ?"   
  
Bîlítõ shrugged, lowering his black eyes to the rough wooden floor. "Not a lot, sir. I've only moved here a few months ago. But Link is the best friend I've ever had, and I would gladly stand by him whatever the cost."   
  
"Whatever the cost?" asked Rauru, a bit surprised. "Explain."   
  
"When I first came here, sir," Bîlítõ said, walking towards Rauru, "Nobody came to my shop, because they thought I was just another thief from the desert. I couldn't get any money, and I began to starve, because the charities... well, they wouldn't help me. Everyone... everyone knew, but only Link... Link helped me," he said, his voice breaking with emotion. "He helped me back on my feet, and convinced every one that I wasn't... like... _him_."   
  
Rauru nodded at Bîlítõ's reflection in the large window. "What about his past? What do you know of it?"   
  
"Nothing," said Bîlítõ, shaking his head. Then he caught the expression on Rauru's wizened face, and he stiffened slightly, furrowing his brow.   
  
"Why?" he asked, a harsh edge to his voice. "Did Link kill anybody, or something?"   
  
"Of course, I cannot tell you."   
  
"Where is Link, anyway?" said Bîlítõ suddenly, looking around the large and rustic room. He glanced at Rauru, and seemed surprised with himself. "And, well, who are you?"   
  
Sighing, Rauru met his eyes. Grey ice searched black shadow, for something, anything, to tell the old Sage what he needed to know. "Link has not told you anything, I see. But I shall tell you my name, at the least. I am Rauru the Wise, a lowly disciple of the Gods."   
  
The boy turned away from him, but Rauru saw the shock and dazedness he wore on his swarthy face.   
  
"A... cardinal, are you?" Bîlítõ asked, widening his eyes in surprise, a look of dismay working into his gentle features. He smiled sheepishly, and ran a hand through his hair distractedly. "Oi... I didn't... I didn't-"   
  
"You don't need to worry so," Rauru said, nodding in Bîlítõ's direction. "When Link comes, he will explain everything, I am sure."   
  
"Yeah, well, he damn well better," said Bîlítõ, laughing and shaking his head at Rauru. "But if you really are a friend of Link, then that's enough for me. You have my pledge, until the very end. Er... not that I really know the beginning, for that matter."   
  
"You soon shall," said the old man, touched by the kindness and trust of a stranger. Too often, he felt, mortals were cynical and distrusting, glaring at foreigners such as himself with baleful and reproachful eyes, uncaring for others. Perhaps there was hope for the world, after all, if people were open to the unknown.   
  
His thoughts were interrupted when Link, looking very ruddy cheeked and worried, burst into the room, shivering and brushing snow off of his hunter green cloak. He seemed unconcerned, at first, by Bîlítõ's presence, but after the dark boy cleared his throat and glanced meaningfully at Rauru, Link dropped the cape to the ground, and stared at the two, wordless.   
  
Finally, after an eternity of silence, Rauru broke seal of quiet, and said,   
  
"Link, methinks that you have not been completely honest with someone who deserves utter truth, especially now."   
  
The blonde man did not so much as glance at Rauru. He was too busy gawking at Bîlítõ, his expression horrified.   
  
"Bîlítõ? How exactly did you get in?" he asked, his voice soft and frightened.   
  
"Oh! Well, I tried knocking on the door, but you didn't answer. I knew you were home, 'cause the light was on, so I snuck in the back to talk to you. See, me and Fridgia got in a fight. She says we're not compatible, but I think she's just being stupid. When I went to your room, I saw Rauru, and he almost knocked me out with some book or somethin-"   
  
"Rauru?! How do you know his name?" Link said, paling slightly, his blue eyes large.   
  
"I told him, Link," said Rauru gently, not wanting to upset Link when already Rauru's presence was clear to have caused damage.   
  
"What else did you-"   
  
"Nothing else, Link," said Bîlítõ matter-of-factly, "and I think you should speak more politely, because he's a cardinal."   
  
"A _cardinal_?" said Link, laughing bitterly, "Oh Bîlítõ, you'll never know, never, ever know how stupid what you said was. A cardinal! A mere cardinal."   
  
"Don't be so disagreeable," Bîlítõ said accusingly. "You're always making fun of me-"   
  
"At least I don't sneak around to your house at night."   
  
"I didn't _sneak around_. I just wanted some advice. It's the least you could do after abandoning me at Lon Lon Ranch yesterday. Some friend you are-"   
  
"Oh, yes that's right. You broke in."   
  
"Link, shut the hell up before I-"   
  
"Enough!" yelled Rauru suddenly, his voice surprisingly loud for one so old. "Link," he said impatiently. "I understand your worry. There are things you have not yet told Bîlítõ. But time for preparation is short, and unless I have your complete attention and understanding, I fear that it will not be evil that causes our destruction, but our battles amongst each other. Link, is there anywhere we can sit down?"   
  
Either Rauru's words had had their desired effect, or Link already understood. "Upstairs," he said, pointing to a flight that rested behind a large bookshelf. Rauru swept past Link, ignoring the searching look he received from Bîlítõ and the frightened one from Link._ He knows too well_, thought Rauru._ He knows too well what I will ask of him. I put your bravery to the test, Link of Hyrule. Please do not dwindle now. _   
  
* * * * *   
  
"You know the history of the Tri-force, do you not?" Rauru asked Bîlítõ once they were seated in Link's loft, on a couch before another crackling fire. The boy nodded hesitantly.   
  
"I think so. The Gods created Hyrule, and when they departed, they left the Tri-force at their departing point, a token of good luck for it's holder, right?"   
  
"Yes," said Link. "But the Tri-force gives its bearer more than good luck. Whoever holds the three pieces can have a single wish granted, whether it's peace for all of the Creation..."   
  
"Or the destruction of the Creation," said Rauru.   
  
"Oi!" said Bîlítõ. "I can see the problem."   
  
"But that's not the end of it," Link explained. "If someone with a pure and good heart makes a wish, the Sacred Realm, the resting place of the Tri-force, will mirror that. It'll become a good place.   
  
"But if an evil one makes a wish, that'll be mirrored too."   
  
"Okay, so I've got that," said Bîlítõ. "And what's the problem? Someone is trying to steal the Tri-force? Like... well, like _he_ did?"   
  
"No, Bîlítõ," said Rauru quietly. "The Tri-force and its power has been sundered. When Ganondorf tried to steal it, it split apart, and he only received a part of it: power, the part he most desired. Courage went to the Hero of Time, Wisdom to the Leader of Sages. But as long as the holders hold their pieces, the power of the Gods has been vanquished. For good or for evil, the Tri-force will never cause mischief again so long as the holders live."   
  
Bîlítõ looked at Rauru, with eyes that went down to his very soul. "Rauru," he said, his voice urgent. "Who are the two holders?"   
  
"The Leader of the Sages is Zelda," said Rauru. "And the Hero of Time is... is...."   
  
"Me," said Link.   
  
Bîlítõ looked at him, and then burst out laughing.   
  
"Oh come on, Link," he said, his eyes watering with mirth. "This other stuff is hard enough to swallow... but you, the Hero of Time?"   
  
"Laugh not, Bîlítõ," Rauru said, his gentle voice grave. "Link's words are true. Show him the scar, Link."   
  
Drawing the sleeve up around his wrist, Link thrust his hand into Bîlítõ's face, holding the triangle shaped blemish under Bîlítõ's nose.   
  
"Anything could have caused that," said Bîlítõ, pushing Link's hand away. Despite his nonchalance, Link could hear the pleading in his voice. "Right? Am I right?"   
  
"Link was the Hero of Time, Bîlítõ," Rauru said as kindly as possible. "He holds within him the Tri-force. Nothing, short of death, could ever claim that piece from him."   
  
"Oh... my... good... Gods!" yelled Bîlítõ shaking his head. "No, no, no! It- it can't be," he begged, looking at Rauru, his eyes beseeching. Rauru regarded him with only kindly pity.   
  
"It is?" Bîlítõ whispered, turning to Link, his expression changing quickly from disbelief, to fear, to awe.   
  
"It was me," said Link.   
  
"Why didn't you tell me?!" demanded Bîlítõ angrily. "I was best friends with a celebrity. No, a religious Hero, and I didn't know it!"   
  
Rauru answered. "You would never have believed him, would you Bîlítõ?"   
  
"No," Bîlítõ admitted. "No, I don't suppose I would."   
  
Link, though, seemed puzzled. "But Rauru, there's something I've been wondering about," he said, ignoring the looks of reverence he was receiving from Bîlítõ. "Everyone knows that Ganondorf craved power above everything else. I mean, otherwise he wouldn't even have bothered, right? But what if he wanted... say, wisdom the most. He grabs the Tri-force, it splits apart, he gets wisdom, I get courage, and... who gets power? Who was the Tri-force of power intended for?"   
  
"Link," said Rauru, his old face more weary and weighted with age than Link could have ever imagined it. His very spirit seemed burdened by concern. "This is exactly the nature of my strange visit. You see, the Tri-force was not intended for Ganondorf. It was intended for the traitor Sheikah, Zosime-"   
  
"I heard of her!" Bîlítõ interrupted. Link noticed that while he seemed as easy going and free-spirited as usual, he made a great effort to avoid catching Link's eye. Inwardly, the Hero cringed.   
  
"She's that pirate," said Bîlítõ, nodding wisely. "She's taken about six eighth's of the world under her control. She hasn't come to Hyrule yet, though. So she's the rightful owner of the Tri-force? Does she know?"   
  
"She knows," Rauru assured them, chuckling harshly. "She's known all along. She just never made a move on it. Never needed to."   
  
"She can't like Ganon too much, can she?" Link asked, shaking his head. "At least that's a comfort."   
  
"You'd be wrong to think that," said Rauru heavily. "She was one of Ganondorf's biggest and loudest supporters. She followed him everywhere. She was the one who sent the Redead into town and destroyed everything in Kakariko. And she was the one who convinced him to take precautions in case of his death to make sure that all wouldn't be lost."   
  
A heavy silence fell over the three men, each lost in their own thoughts and fears. But Link broke the silence by saying:   
  
"She's coming to Hyrule, isn't she Rauru?"   
  
Rauru nodded, his attention focussed on the merry flames before him. "As surely as Ganondorf did. She's coming."   
  
"How long have you known?" Link asked quietly.   
  
"A few days," Rauru said simply, shrugging his large shoulders.   
  
"And Zelda! What about her?"   
  
"I sent her away, Link," Rauru said softly, rising and heading towards the small balcony. "Zosime must never find her."   
  
"Rauru?" Link asked, rising and standing behind him. "How long do we have? I mean, when is she coming?"   
  
Rauru turned to him, his gray eyes suddenly deep and turbulent, and harsh in a way that made Link apprehensive.   
  
"She has already come," he said, grief clouding his face. He turned away from the Hero of Time, and looked out at the city. A city that Link, it appeared, would have to sacrifice all he loved and held dear for again.   
  


* * *

  
So... what did y'all think? Like it? I hope so! Ahoy-hoy! Please read and review! Now the real fun begins. Next chapter: Bîlítõ confronts Link about the whole Hero o'Time ordeal. Rauru sees that Impa has taken Zelda back, and is enraged. The Zoras and the Gorons act hostile to each other, and Zelda's husband is introduced.   
  
  
Keep Reading!   
  
  
  
-Thalia (xoxoxoxoxoxo) 


	5. Chapter IV

With Eyes to the Heavens

Chapter V

Once upon a time, she had been one of the most beautiful women in Hyrule. She still was, really. To strangers, she was at first startling, and then stunning once the beholder got past her strange coloration and appearance. Her looks were part of her talent for deceit and chicanery. She lured the unsuspecting in with them.

She was a woman of entirely ivory, as pure and simple and exquisite as an angel. Her hair was rarely worn lose, it's bearer preferring something more practical and out of the way, yet never being able to cut it entirely, remembering happier days of a childhood where she had always worn it down and been nicknamed for it. It was long and straight, and pure white, the same tone as her shockingly pale skin. She had been raised in the mountains of Northern Hyrule, historians would one day say when her name was mentioned. She never saw the sun as a child, and now, as an adult, hated it, its rays seeming poisonous against fair and delicate skin once nurtured with the finest creams, now desperate for a cleansing long overdue. On most people, such pallid hair would have been startling, even frightening. With her snowy skin, it looked as healthy as one could ever imagine a woman so truly sick. 

She never hid the fact that she was ashen and wan as a dead man. Instead, she emphasized it by wearing only blacks, dark blues, and burgundies. She didn't want to be forgotten so quickly. She would find she had little to worry about.

The only color on her body was her eyes. Large, cynical, yet striking red eyes, the trade-mark of her people, the Sheikah. Only one man ever had the chance to see them closely. He had seen sadness and horror, hatred and fear, and a girl, drowning in her own insanity and agony. The man never spoke of what he had seen. He knew no words to describe such terror.

To everyone else, she was a night rider, a demon that penalized and smote her enemies, destroying with a fury few could understand, and fewer would ever forgive. She was Beauty and the Beast, Seraph and the Demon, Day and the Twilight. She was terrible, and no one would ever understand her or her inhumanities. 

__

But, thought Zosime as she stood alone in the Temple of Time, _I want to be understood. I want people to know why I'm doing this. What is the purpose of retribution without its justification?_

The shrine built in the center of Arcé, or Hyrule Castle Town as the Hylians so affectionately called it, was art in its full glory. It wasn't built in the same towering, modern manner as the dwellings, tall and narrow, nor was it as sleek and simple abstract style of the Wood Age, or the Stylized fashions of the Warring Age. It lacked the elegance and decadence of something from the two thousand year old Age of Degradation, or the natural beauty of the five-hundred year old Middle Age. It mystified Zosime. Try as she might, she could not place the pagoda in its era. 

They, the Hylian Monks, had claimed that it had been erected over ten thousand years previous, but Zosime saw that that made no sense. The entire structure was too perfect, too beautiful, too well-built to have been constructed so long ago. The ancient Hylians lacked the funds and discipline to even build a proper infirmary. How could they have built this magnificent place, whose ceiling beams were engraved with the names of religious heroes, whose very windows seemed to gleam, even then, in the dead of night? 

For a building that had seen such war and slaughter, it was in astoundingly good state. The harsh flow of time seemed not to have passed at all over the magnificent temple, and everything was kept in such a way so that it looked as though it may have a thousand years earlier. The reason may have been simple: the Hylians, even Hylians waging war, respected their religious beliefs. 

When I'm in charge, that'll be the first thing to change. 

The other reason she had in mind was more theological, and far less simple. Perhaps what the mad nun, Rugia, lover of the King, had said was right. The Gods protected Hyrule. Well, good for them. She didn't need Gods. After spending a life without hope or faith or any kind, she was not about to reform now. At any rate, she wasn't so sure she wanted to alert the Gods of her presence and doings. 

She heaved a great sigh and straightened her stiff shoulders, leaning back from examining a pillar of solid platinum into which was etched runes and patterns she could not understand. Languages had never been her specialty, even with the expensive schooling her father had paid for her. No matter where she traveled, or who she spoke with, be it religious leaders, dukes, or the impoverished, she always communicated in the Domestic Tongue of Hyrule, her home. In a way it was good. At least then everyone could understand what she was saying.

Behind her, she heard the creaking sound of massive granite doors opening, and felt a light breeze on her neck and back, lifting her hair off her shoulders. She didn't bother turning to face the newcomer, thinking it to be another nosy priest or do-gooder monk, or someone equally vexatious. 

"Lady," someone said reverently from behind her. It was a woman, and, Zosime could tell from her accent, not just any woman. A Gerudu. She sighed again, this time in resignation.

"What do you want, Laila?" she asked wearily, not bothering to hide her irritation and anger at being disturbed.

"High Zosime, we have found her," Laila said matter-of-factly, a note of disapproval in her voice. Zosime reeled on her, stunned, her eyes wide.

"What? What did you say?" she demanded.

"We have found the Priestess Rugia," said the Gerudu, smiling with pride and flicking her red hair over her shoulder. Still, her gold eyes seemed glazed with a deep anger. 

Zosime was not pleased at all, and the defiance she sensed in her soldier did nothing but add to her discomfort. "Where is she? Why didn't you tell me sooner, Laila?!" 

Laila seemed affronted as she placed her hands on her hips, clicking her tongue and rolling her eyes. "She's in the barracks, Mistress."

"Is she talking?"

"Oh she's talking alright. She's been lecturing the troops for about an hour now, ranting about the Gods and how she could hear them, and how the Emperor was a direct descendant of them." Here Laila snorted with laughter, covering her mouth politely. Zosime took a step towards the door, and pulled her black cloak over her shoulders.

"Has she mentioned the Queen? Has she mentioned Our Lord?" Zosime asked without missing a beat as she hastily pulled her hair back into a messy plait. Laila shook her head.

"Nah… nothing that good. I'm beginning to think she was a waste of time, with all due respect of course, your honor."

Zosime ignored her comment and swept past her towards the door, her eyes fixed ahead of her. She pushed open the heavy doors and stepped into the chilling night air, cringing as the wind struck her across the face in a frigid slap. Glancing up quickly, she saw that the clouds had begun to move in, blocking the moon and stars from view and considerably darkening the landscape. She smiled briefly, pleased at her good fortune. Darkness was her ally.

As she mounted her horse, a sleek, gray mare, she saw out of her peripheral vision Laila heading towards her, her red hair bouncing behind her. Laila stopped before her, out of breath, placing a hand on the horse's side to steady herself.

"Hey!" she said suddenly, sounding angry, "You can't go now! The bridge's up! You'll never get past the canal!"

Zosime shook her head in disgust at Laila. "I'll get around them. Say it's an emergency."

"They won't believe you," Laila insisted, "They'll try and stop us."

"We'll kill them if they do," said Zosime, "Hurry! Rugia's tricky for such an old bat. Give her and inch and she'll take a mile. She's just like her son."

"Son?"

"Never mind. Come! The trip to the border will take us at least until dawn, and time is a luxury we do not have."

I know! Don't say it! This isn't very good. I know I promised you a big old good thing, and it took me long enough, too, but I just got writers block… and… and… this is all that came out! I'm sorry! Read and review anyway!


	6. Chapter V

With Eyes to the Heavens

Chapter V

Link slept fitfully that night, his dreams ravaged with horrifying visions of Ganondorf at the height of his power, filling the once quiet and beautiful land of Hyrule with his cruelty and his hatred. A sea of it… waves of it… _where were you, Hero, my Hero… good men were dying while you slept…_

Leilani shared space in his dreams with Ganondorf, her large, olive green eye following him from shadowed corners, peering at him in anger and, he thought, some measure of remorse. He wanted desperately to talk to her or to touch her face, but words would never come and his hands were frozen. His tongue was caught in his throat. He was completely mute.

He awoke abruptly that morning, feeling vaguely disoriented and lost in his large bed, ill at ease, his head filled with the memory of his friend's severe eye and her gentle smile. She wasn't beautiful. That was why he had liked her. You could never relax around the beautiful ones, like Zelda, or Malon. Even Ruto, to some extent.

Leilani was quite unpopular and infamous within the borders of Hyrule. She had a bit of an unfavorable reputation, people insisting that she was a kept woman, a concubine of sorts. Link knew that the rumors about her disloyalty and tendency to beguile married men were not entirely untrue. She was currently living with a lover of hers named Lesyo, a Hylian demagogue infamous for his rather bigoted, anti-monarchist rants and adulterous tendencies. 

Link had seen her last at one of Malon's crazy drug parties, where she had revealed that she was pregnant with Lesyo's spawn and living with the famous orator in a quaint little house in Kakariko. The thought of Lesyo's toxic seed repulsed Link, but apparently Leilani enjoyed his company and thought that his daughter would be just as charming as he was.

She had actually seemed happy, or at least as happy as he could ever imagine miserable Leilani. She had claimed to be in love with Lesyo, more in love than ever before in her life. Link hadn't believed her. He had, after all, heard her say those words fifty times about fifty different men.

A hot topic of debate was how Leilani had seduced her current prey. Not with good looks, that was obvious to everyone. It might have been her incredible talent with the harpsichord that stunned Lesyo, since he was a musician himself. That wasn't to say she wasn't beautiful in her own right, however. Link knew that she was, but it wasn't the simple, easily-appreciated beauty of a sunset or of Zelda's golden hair and china blue eyes. It was the beauty of death, or of a cloudy sky. It was a beauty that required thought. It wasn't acknowledged until you really looked at the depth of that incredible eye, or the way her frizzy brown hair glinted red in the sunlight. 

He lay on his back, the silk sheets twisted around his legs, and thought about his friend with a sad smile. He missed Leilani. He missed their easy laughter, the way they used to make fun of the vain, incompetent bureaucrats that ran the country and the short-sighted decisions they made. She didn't need him for that now, though, since she was living with Lesyo. She had Lesyo, who was fuming about their stupidity every waking moment. 

Did she ever think of him like this, scorning his friendship with… Bîlítõ, perhaps? Possibly when she felt alone and was frightened about the future?

Presumably no, seeing as whenever she woke up in bed, Lesyo was waking up beside her, ready to talk his trash and spout his crap into her eager, accepting ears. She didn't have time to think about her long lost friend and their long lost friendship, remembered from their days as awkward teens. She was too busy with that stupid revolutionary ass, who would "take her far" apparently.

Link could never explain why he hated Lesyo so much, not even to himself. He wasn't a particularly threatening man, with his scrawny frame, unpleasant little beard, and head of rust-colored hair. Link thought he looked rather comic, but try telling that to Leilani. She thought he was the greatest thing to happen to Hyrule since the Great Peace. Maybe she _was_ in love. It was quite amusing actually, to think of that incredible woman, who had carved herself a niche as the first female, non-Gerudu assassin in Hyrule, standing beside that washout at the altar. 

Funny, and a little bit sickening. Maybe for once Leilani hadn't been the one to do the debauching. 

"Link?" he heard Bîlítõ whisper from the doorway. Link closed his eyes in apprehension, remembering the conversation of the previous night. Was that another friendship he had forced into the mud, all because of his dishonesty and guile? 

"Hey, you douche bag… are you awake?" Bîlítõ said, his voice louder and more insistent this time. That was more normal, the teasing banter in his tone directed at his friend. But there was still some reservation apparent. Had Rauru spoken to him, perhaps? Explained the necessity of their actions? 

"I am now, you stupid ass," Link hissed, not opening his eyes. "Couldn't you let me sleep in for once?"

Bîlítõ laughed, but the reluctance, though hidden beneath his mockery of good cheer, was apparent in it. 

"Oh come on. Wake up. Rauru wants to speak to us. You're going to have to get up a lot earlier than this when you go and fight Zosime."

Link sat up suddenly, glowering at Bîlítõ. 

"I'm not going to fight her, Bîlítõ," he snapped, flipping a shock of blonde out of his face. "I'm just going to see if I can take out some of her support. Destroy the reputation of anyone who wants to help her."

"Whatever," Bîlítõ said defensively. "You're the Hero. I'm just the lousy side kick/village idiot/comic relief. Don't worry about _me_."

Link felt vastly guilty immediately after Bîlítõ spoke, seeing the hurt on his friend's face, but more than that he was angry. His rage wasn't aimed at Bîlítõ entirely, but a good part of it was. He was sick of self-blame. He had been doing it for years. He didn't need accusations from Bîlítõ, too. 

"Listen to me, and listen carefully," Link spat, standing up suddenly and glowering at Bîlítõ. He was aware that he had fallen asleep in his clothes, which was unlike him. "Do you think I liked lying to you? I thought you would understand-"

"I understand," Bîlítõ said softly. "You didn't think I could be trusted, did you? You thought I would run off and tell anyone and everyone. Thanks, Link, thanks. Don't you think I'd realize when, someday, someone called on you to… I don't know… pose for a portrait for the Temple or something?"

"I couldn't tell anyone!" Link yelled, his face twisted with rage and pain. "Stop wallowing in self-pity for a minute and think about it! Would you have believed me?" 

"No," Bîlítõ shouted back, his dark hands clenched into fists. "But at least you would have been honest."

"What in Heaven and Hell are you two doing?" someone said in a stage whisper. Link glanced past Bîlítõ, his eyes falling on Rauru. Bîlítõ cringed and glanced over his shoulder.

"We were talking," Link said sullenly, hating himself all the more for being so immature. 

"Talking?! You call that talking?!" Rauru demanded, chuckling ruefully and shaking his white head. "I call it creating ruckus. But tell me… what has happened to turn two best-friends against each other, and so quickly as well! Why just last night, weren't you telling me that you owed Link everything, Bîlítõ?" 

Bîlítõ didn't seem to know how to respond to this. For a moment, the only sound in Link's loft was that of the milkman outside, singing to himself while his horse's hooves clapped against the frozen cobblestone ground. Bîlítõ broke the silence at last, heaving a sigh and staring at Link, his black eyes sad and bitter. But there was wisdom there too. Wisdom that had come at a great cost. 

"You lied to me, Link. Whether you did it because of me, or you did it because of you… well, either way you lied, didn't you?"

"I hated to do it, Bîlítõ," Link began to plead. "You're my friend. If there was any other way, believe me-"

"You don't have to explain, Link," Bîlítõ said gently, cutting him off with an unhappy grin. "I… I'm kind of… it doesn't matter, anyway. Rauru's right. I owe you my life. You _gave_ me life. I have one last favor to ask of you, though, before I forgive you."

"What, Bîlítõ?" Link said, smiling a little. 

"Will you let me give my life meaning?" Bîlítõ murmured, lowering his eyes to the floor.

It took Link a moment to realize what he meant. He gaped at his friend, his blue eyes wide with shock.

"Are you saying… saying you want to help me? Because if you are…"

Bîlítõ nodded, his usual cheery self returning. "I do. Come on, man. It'll be an adventure."

"An adventure, certainly," Rauru said, his face serious. "But I fear that you don't fully understand the weight of this task."

"Task?!" Bîlítõ said with a carefree wave. "Come on, Rauru. What sort of task? Rescue a beautiful princess?" 

"A beautiful, married _Queen, _more likely," Rauru said irritably. "But we shan't know for sure until we meet with the council of Sages."

Bîlítõ blanched. Link was sure that the idea of a roomful of Raurus was more than he liked to think about early in the morning.

Link yawned and stretched, surprisingly relaxed. "What time is it?" 

Bîlítõ seemed nervous. "Six thirty," he said, ignoring Link's glower. 

"Six thirty?! I'm going back to sleep," Link muttered, sitting back down on the bed. 

"No, you are not," Rauru announced. "We have a meeting with someone in Zora's Domain." Rauru smiled maliciously, a frightening sight. "I think she'll be happy to see you."

"Ruto! No!"

Bîlítõ laughed. "And on the way, I have a meeting with someone. I must head to the Carro Berto."

"Ixchelia," Link muttered. Bîlítõ beamed. Rauru scowled.

"No detours," he said angrily. "I hope to be there by sundown. Time is short. You two don't seem to understand quite _how _short."

Well hello! See, see? It's long…. Haha! Review, please! I hoped you liked it!


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